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October 9, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Beginning October 13, construction will begin in Millcroft Park to install free Cogeco Wi-Fi. The construction and installation of equipment is expected to take four to five weeks. The free Wi-Fi is a pilot test with Cogeco Cable to provide free internet access within certain areas of the park. Most of the city’s arenas, city hall and recreation and community centres already have free Wi-Fi access. The park will remain open during construction. 
October 9, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Human Trafficking and Vice Unit of the Halton Regional Police Service have arrested two individuals for trafficking female victims. In the early morning hours of October 8th 2015, the Hamilton Police Service Tactical Response Unit along with the HRPS Human Trafficking and Vice Unit executed a search warrant at a Stoney Creek residence. Upon entry police located and arrested Andrew GORDON (32 years) and Astra MULAWKA (29 years) for human trafficking related offences. During the search of the residence police located identification of females believed to be victims of human trafficking. The search warrant and arrests culminated a yearlong human trafficking investigation into GORDON.  Andrew GORDON Evidence gathered throughout this investigation has revealed that GORDON is trafficking female victims in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. Police have identified several human trafficking victims, however police believe GORDON is responsible for the exploitation and trafficking several other females throughout Canada. Andrew GORDON has been charged with the following offences: Count: 1) Trafficking in persons, s. 279.01. Criminal Code Count” 2) Receiving financial/material benefit, s. 279.02. Criminal Code Count: 3) Exercise control, s. 212(1((h). Criminal Code Count: 4) Living on avails of prostitution, s. 212(1)(j). Criminal Code Count: 5) Extortion, s. 346. Criminal Code Count” 6) Knowingly Advertise and offer to provide sexual services, s. 286.4. Criminal Code Count: 7) Receiving material benefit, s. 286.2(1). Criminal Code Count: 8) Uttering threats, s. 264.1(1). Criminal Code Count: 9) Forcible Confinement, s. 279(2) Criminal Code Count: 10) Assault, s. 266. Criminal Code Count: 11) Assault, s. 266. Criminal Code GORDON was held for a bail hearing and will appear in Milton Court today (October 9th 2015) Astra MULAWKA has been charged with the following offences: Count 1) Trafficking in persons, s. 279.01. Criminal Code MULAWKA will appear in Milton Court on November 2nd 2015. The Halton Regional Police Service Human Trafficking and Vice Unit believe Andrew GORDON who is also known as “ President” or “Bush” is responsible for trafficking other female victims, as such we have attached his photograph to this media release. We would encourage anyone with information relating to GORDON to call Detective Martin DICK at 905-208-0959 or 905-825-4747 ext 8723
October 9, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Tom Muir is an Aldershot resident who takes what goes on in his community seriously – he is a major thorn in the side of Rick Craven, the council member for the ward.  Aldershot resident Tom Muir is a strong believer in community participation in how the city grows. He has issues with the way city council failed to do its job.,
Muir has been wanting to know how the city ended up facing an Ontario Municipal Board hearing over a development that was proposed for the Lakeshore Road/Martha Street intersection in the downtown part of the city. Muir had written Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and copied the Mayor and the city manager in the middle of September about the matter and thought he deserved at least an acknowledgement. As Muir explains it “I asked for an explanation of how the staff report on this ADI project did not make it to Council within the 180 days mandated in the legislation as default grounds for OMB appeal. “My initial message was sent to Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward, where the proposed project is located, and cc’d Mayor Goldring and City Manager James Ridge Muir says he find it disturbing that his initial message has been completely and inexplicably ignored by Councillor Meed Ward. Not on to be easily deterred Muir wrote a follow up letter asking to be informed about how the decision was arrived at to allow the 180 day period, mandated by legislation, to elapse before the Council vote was made? “Whether it was deliberate or inadvertent, an explanation to inform citizens is warranted” said Muir. “I have reviewed all of the pertinent content of the newsletters put out by Councillor Meed Ward, dated March 31, and September 16. There is no explanation there addressing my question; the latest newsletter commentary reads like the decision to let the timeline elapse did not happen.” “What is written there rationalizes, and pardons, this failure to meet a deadline that triggers an automatic legal grounds for appeal to the OMB. It further denies that this failure matters, or is of consequence, and tries to project the blame for the predictable outcome on the developer ADI.” Muir points out that the 180 day deadline was not legislated for nothing, so you can’t blame ADI for pursuing their legal rights. The fault lies in the city letting this happen. The process timeline included in the March 31 Meed Ward newsletter shows that the city planning department recommendation for refusal of the ADI application was made public, and therefore provided to ADI, more than a week before the 180 day deadline. “In this situation” said Muir, “it is irrational planning management for the city to then fail to meet the deadline.” “The city failure to meet this 180 day deadline is a major victory for the aggressive approach of ADI. It gives them an automatic appeal standing with the OMB, a very valuable legal right.  Aldershot resident argues that the city’s failure to act properly on a development application almost legitimizes signs like this. “Further, it apparently legitimizes the several marketing activities they now have underway. These too are aggressive, speculative and misleading. “These go beyond the controversial billboard on the proposed building site, and the storefront on Brant St being opened by ADI, advertising they are open for business for registration of purchases of “Lakefront Residences”, in what is called “Nautique”. “Further, for example, I received a post card size advertisement in the mail, from a Loyalty Real Estate Brokerage, selling the ADI project address, but it is called a “Burlington Condominium”. It promises numerous project features, VIP first access, huge discounts, no lineups, instant gain on purchase, and wide selection of units. “As well, in the Hamilton Spectator real estate section, New Home Living, dated October 3, ADI is advertising “Nautique”, as “arriving soon” and invites registration. Again, it is obviously the proposed project. “This is spectacle, and where it will lead is assuredly to nowhere good for the city and citizens. It reminds me of a gold rush promotion mentality where shares in a mine site – in this case a patch of pavement and dirt – that has been salted, but not proved, are being hustled for sale. “It begs the question of what the responsible city staff were thinking to surrender control of this development situation to ADI? What kind of city organization would allow this to happen? “What kind of development planning strategy and tactics, and business plan does this action entail? This appears an illogical retreat from a position of dominant planning argument, strength, and public support. “What is the rationale for revealing, then folding a winning hand, thus letting ADI outflank the city, go straight to the OMB, and then use this to market what they failed to get the city to approve on official planning grounds? “It could constitute city hall actions based on something sensible, or maybe worse, but how will we ever know with no information and transparency? It really needs inquiry, and needs to be visible. Transparent decision making processes are part of the foundation of the good governance of a municipality. “You all know your duties and responsibilities under legislation and policy, and I will not read you chapter and verse, but just give a taste that is most relevant here.” Section 224, subsection (d) of the Municipal Act is a good starting point. It outlines the role of the municipal council as follows: “224. It is the role of council, (d) to ensure that administrative policies, practices and procedures and controllership policies, practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council;  Aldershot resident Tom Muir wants city council to do the job the Municipal Act requires them to do. He’d also like an explanation as to why they appear to have goofed on the ADI development application. The Municipal Councillors Guide 2014 states that ,”Clearly, accountability and transparency are a priority in maintaining public trust in council and in the management of your municipality. Section 224 of the Act explicitly includes ensuring the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality as part of the role of council.” Control and responsibility are other givens. Muir, who doesn’t give up on issues that he thinks are important adds the “Burlington Citizens Engagement Charter contains similar and identical text, and city commitment and policy. As does the draft Code of Conduct, approved by Committee, and passed to the City Manager by Council for inclusion in the Strategic Plan. You can add in the Oath of Office that Council members take.” Muir sums up his most recent letter saying: “I hope that you can see your fundamental responsibilities, both legislated and policy, in this matter of providing the explanation I have asked for. “It’s your duty to ensure the transparency and accountability that underlie credibility and trust.”
October 9, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON A company involved in determining what kind of advertising shows up on your computer screen when you are online decided it wanted to do something to help people during the Thanksgiving weekend – a time of year when the Salvation Army holds a major food drive. They raised enough food to provide 1500 Thanksgiving meals.  Vanessa Mateus and “Captain Alpha with some of the food that was raised by employees at Digital Direct Access Vanessa Mateus came up with the idea of giving back to the community, and the competitive nature that of the technology industry was all that was needed to result in 3000 items being purchased In true digital fashion, Team Three, lead by “Captain Alpha”, quickly got online and ordered over 1200 items of canned goods to be delivered to the office and then taunted the other teams on the company’s blog to match that effort. Digital Access Data (DAD) Director of Performance, Rob T. Case, has an affinity with the Food Bank. His family had used food banks for five years. After turning his life around, he became a successful digital marketer, worked at Google and joined the Direct Access Digital team this year. Case said the food banks ” were there when his family of four needed them and it is important to give back, to show gratitude, especially at Thanksgiving.” Another member of the team also claimed to have used the Food Bank in the past. She says, “Sometimes you find yourself in a place you never expected. You get help and drive forward.” DAD co-founder, Eric Rodgers say that “When Vanessa Mateus, suggested we do something for The Salvation Army’s Food Drive it was absolutely something we wanted to support; we are always happy to help the community. There were challenges posted on our company blog from one team to another. It was pretty heated, but a competition worth winning.” The team plans to do something for the holiday season, but they are not talking about their ideas yet. Direct Access Digital, an award-winning digital-performance marketing agency based in Burlington is the two-time winner of The Google Search Excellence Award. Founded in 2011, DAD has evolved into one of Canada’s leading boutique agencies, and now serve mid-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike. Known for their expertise in all digital marketing verticals, from search engine marketing (SEM) to search engine optimization (SEO), local search, social media marketing and more, their true hallmark is building strong partnerships with their clients and working diligently to deliver the tools, data and strategies that drive customer conversions and sales while aiding brand awareness. www.directaccessdigital.com
October 9, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Halton Regional Police have made a male suspected of accused breaking into lockers belonging to members of a private gymnasium and stealing money from their personal belongings.  Vezio CARDULLO In August and September 2015, Vezio CARDULLO attended a health and fitness gym on several occasions in the City of Burlington. The accused broke into lockers belonging to members of the gym and stole money from their personal belongings. Police have been unable to locate the accused and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. There are numerous people who continue to evade the police and the court system and continue to live out in our communities while having a warrant for their arrest in place. Every Friday, the Burlington Offender Management Unit will share information on a wanted person in hopes that the public can assist in locating the individual. We will share “Fugitive Friday” information on our website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice. In this edition of Fugitive Friday, the 3 District, Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Vezio CARDULLO, 33 years old, of No Fixed Address. CARDULLO is wanted by the Halton Regional Police Service for: Theft under $5000 x 3 CARDULLO is described as 5’7”, 170lbs, bald with brown eyes. CARDULLO has forearm tattoo sleeves on both his left and right forearm and a scar under his left eye. CARDULLO is known to frequent Burlington and the surrounding areas. Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in locating him are encouraged to contact D/C Bulbrook – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Offender Management Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2346 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
October 8, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The results of a two-day commercial vehicle (CMV) enforcement blitz held at the Mohawk Raceway in Milton have surpassed records in the number of vehicles inspected and the total number of charges from previous years.  Officer checking the condition of truck tires during inspection blitz. Police Officers and Inspectors from eight police services and two provincial ministries yielded the following results: Total CMV’s Inspected 472 The out of service rate improved by approximately 6%; this could be attributed to an increase in compliance with safety statutes. In 2014, out of 457 inspected, 188 were taken out of service; a 41% failure rate. A total of 301 charges were laid in the 2014 blitz. Of the charges laid this year, the following is a sampling of some of the offences: Failure to complete annual inspection 55 Based on these number more than a third of the trucks that pass you on the road shouldn’t be there – tougher regulations might be needed or heavier fines. Having the trucks taken off the road for a short period of time doesn’t seem to be doing the job – this blitz takes place every year – the numbers don’t decrease.
October 8th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Each year the Fire Department holds an Open House which Fire Chief Tony Bavota describes as a day for the family that doesn’t cost a dime and “if they buy a hot dog from the service group they get it at cost – a great inexpensive family outing”. But this year there was no Open House because the fire department HQ is undergoing a major renovation – so they had to come up with a new idea. And they certainly came up with what can only be described as a winner. The Fire Department partnered with the Culinary class at Robert Bateman High school for a cook off between four teams. Each team was made up of a fire fighter and two students. Murray Zehr who runs the Culinary program said there are 300 students in the class where the focus is on nutrition and kitchen safety. The cooks had an hour to prepare the meal. There were very good reasons for using a cook off as the focus for the event – 53% of the fires in private homes are the result of unattended cooking.  Acting Captain Sam Wakunick taught the Gazette reporter a couple of things about unattended cooking. It was embarrassing. This reporter has some direct experience with unattended cooking and the Burlington Fire department. Shortly after moving into a new home and getting used to the stove I wandered away from the kitchen and then heard that beep beep sound of the smoke alarm. There was nothing I could do to shut the damn thing off the way you can in most houses. I called security and told them everything was under control but it was too late – the fire department was on the way and before I knew it Sam Wakunick was standing at my door in full fire fighter kit. I sheepishly explained what I had done – she smiled – Sam wasn’t a guy – and asked if she could just look through the unit – which wasn’t exactly tidy. Months later I show up to cover a news event and there is Sam – reminding me not to wander from the kitchen when food is cooking. The Fire department media people working with the Bateman staff came up with a really fun and instructive program that made the point – fires are dangerous and they can be prevented. It was also an opportunity to showcase the cooking talent at Bateman  Fire fighter Peter Temoche explains a point to a member of his team Kristan Dymad – Alicia Ann Husk was also on the team. Each of the cooking teams was given a recipe and the ingredients – there was a table with all kinds of oils, wines, and fresh vegetables that cooks could dip into. To jazz up the event – a fire fighter with the name “That Guy” who wandered from stove to stove and just became a pain in the butt. He would drop something into the food or give one of the cooks a penalty which meant they had to sit in a penalty box – and not be able to take part in the food preparation. There was a party atmosphere that brought out the newly minted Director of Education Stuart Miller and Mayor Goldring who advised the students that he had absolutely no culinary skills but was prepared to serve as a judge for the cook off. The Mayor mentioned that during his recent trip to China he learned to ask what he was being served; “you sometimes didn’t want to know” he said. Burlington’s taxpayers however might want to know what the Mayor was doing in China for close to a week.  Firefighter Dave Reid and Bateman students Vanessa Plouffe and Alisha Hales look into the ingredients they were given to cook up a meal in one hour. Fire fighter Dave Reid and students Vanessa Plouffe and Alisha Hales were on a team called the Dragons.  Fire fighter Chris Grieve takes his cooks Cameron Davies and J.R. Kelertas through the approach he thinks they should take to preparing the meal. Chris Grieve, the fire fighter was on a team with students Cameron Davies and J. R Kelertas – they decided to be known as Five Arm Alarm; one of the students had a cast on his arm Fire fighter Peter Tamoche teamed up with Krista Dymod and Alicia Ann Husk – they wanted to be called the Hot Tamales.  Ty Solomon gets rapt attention from a student during the cook off. Ty Solomon and students Bryce Walker and Nick Shaw titled themselves: Kill it with Fire.  The Bateman high school kitchen with its four gas stoves was a bit of a zoo with cameras all over the place and students scooting around picking up supplies and utensils. The kitchen at Bateman was a bit of a zoo with students photographers wandering all over the place, the Cogeco cable News camera kept popping up while cooks were scooting around getting equipment and ingredients while Dennis Hayes kept calling out trivia questions and announcing penalties and in the last fifteen minutes telling everyone how little time they left. Students and other observers looked on from the back of the kitchen. The judging was pretty tight: winning team got 75 points with two teams getting 71 points. They were judged on presentation and taste.  Dave Reid’s team, on the left took first place while Ty Solomon throws his arms up and congratulates Bryce Walker and Nick Shaw who took second. There were less than four points between each team. Fire fighter Dave Reid and students Plouffe and Hales took first place.  While students were cooking up their storm other students were trying on fire fighter equipment. The fire department had three pieces of equipment parked outside the school and all kinds of fire fighter equipment set out for students to try on. There were 19 fire fighters helping out “on their own time” added Chief Bavota.
October 7, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Some of the most horrific highway accidents take place on holiday weekends – that’s when families are in cars going to see other members of their family. Check the newspapers Monday, listen to the radio – you will see and hear it all.  Can we get through the Thanksgiving weekend without pictures like this? Try Over the Thanksgiving weekend, October 9th through to the 12th, the Halton Regional Police Service will be taking part in a national road safety partnership known as Operation Impact. The goal of the program is to remind drivers that an essential part of traffic education and enforcement is to save lives and reduce injuries on our roadways. Officers assigned to Operation Impact will focus on behaviour that puts drivers, passengers and other road users at risk: impaired driving, seat belt use, and all aspects related to aggressive/distracted driving. Aggressive drivers often engage in a combination of high-risk road use behaviours; non-use of seat belts, drinking and driving and speeding. The results of these behaviours are often catastrophic for all involved road users. This year there have been several motor vehicle fatalities investigated by Halton Police. Each of these deaths represents the tragic loss of a loved one – a senseless tragedy that in most cases could have been prevented. Our annual participation in Operation Impact forms an important part of our overall traffic strategy where partnerships lead to greater road safety. A focus on high risk behaviours provides opportunities for enforcement as well as education. A good program, that will be solidly enforced – what was missing? Not a word about distracted driving – the nut cases that think they can text and drive at the same time. If the behaviour isn’t mentioned and targeted it may not get the attention it deserves. Operation Impact is sponsored by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and member agencies of the CACP Traffic Committee from across Canada in support of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2015, which has a goal of making Canada’s roads the safest in the world by 2015. That is an interesting target – aren’t we already in 2015?
October 6th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Was it a sign, a fence or hoarding around a construction site. City lawyers say this is a sign and not a fence or a construction site hoarding. Will now work with the developer to bring them into compliance. The city by law enforcement officer needed to know just which it was before she took any action on the huge sign that sits on Lakeshore Road at Martha where the ADI development Group has submitted an application to put up a 28 storey structure that was rejected by the planning department but never actually voted on by city council. It is now before the Ontario Municipal Board which will hear the ADI argument for the right to build the structure at a December meeting. The by law enforcement officer had to respond to a complaint – but needed to get a ruling from the city’s lawyers.  This isn’t construction site hoarding and it doesn’t look like a fence – so the bigger part was declared to be a sign and has to be brought into compliance with the bylaw – six square feet. Well as a sign it is too big – they are allowed to put up a sign that is not larger than 6 square metres. The sign is apparently close to 16 square metres. The options for the city? Fine the developer and force them to reduce the size of the sign. The city can do both but the understanding the Gazette took from our discussion with the bylaw enforcement officer is that they would probably not do both. The intention is to work with the developer and bring them into compliance. Why the velvet glove treatment? ADI has run rough shod over every process and procedure the city has in place. They appear to see rules as things that are made to be broken or severely bent.
Upper Canada Place, Burlington, ON
Week of Friday, October 09, 2015 through Thursday, October 15, 2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG) Straight Outta Compton (18A) Shaun the Sheep () Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (PG) Pixels (PG) Ant-Man (PG) Mr. Holmes (PG) Minions (G) Inside Out (G) A Walk in the Woods (14A)
October 5th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Membership has its privileges – The Art Gallery of Burlington launched their fall season with a members only reception that had the xx artists in the fall program on hand to chat up their work and answer questions.  Laurin’s work plays with family and found photographs that he reinterprets In Spirit John Latour’s text-based art, sculpture, and found photography highlight the ways in which we connect with the past, and how this uniquely human activity is mediated through words, objects, and images. Heather Murray is influenced by her rural backdrop and creates diligently and enthusiastically out of her haunted historical studio in Owen Sound Ontario. This exhibition is co-curated by Virginia Eichhorn, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, and Denis Longchamps, Art Gallery of Burlington. The exhibition will run from September 19, 2015 to November 15, 2015. Co-curation with the Tom Thomson Art Gallery is not small potatoes.  Drawn from the AGB’s Permanent Collection of Contemporary Canadian Ceramics, five artists – Bruce Cochrane, Reid Flock, Harlan House, Ruth Gowdy McKinley, and Kayo O’Young demonstrate their mastery over the medium. Not to be missed. Thrown The permanent collection is gem that is all too often hidden – it was what validates the existence of the gallery – the rest of the country just hasn’t discovered it yet. Curated by Jonathan Smith, the exhibition will run from September 19, 2015 to December 31, 2015 in the Perry Gallery.  a snapshot of one of the collages “5 Glasses” featuring a photo of artist Clive Tucker surrounded by five different types of glasses. Click. Clip. Paste. The presence of the artist is suggested through his reflection with his eyeglasses or drinking glasses located in the foreground. Each work follows a set of formal principles: a grid is used for the collage composition following concerns of proportions, dynamic tensions and lines. The photos however were taken without any planned composition in mind. Many are captured at a table sharing a meal, at other times the models pose for the purpose of creating a collage. Smith is the curator of the permanent collection. He has been with the AGB for 25 years and is an artist in his own right. The showing of his personal work in an exhibition was part of the thank you from the gallery board. Well deserved. The exhibition is on until October 18, 2015 in the RBC Community Gallery.  The AGB is going to use the corridor spaces to focus on regional work from different parts of the country. This preserve jar is a prairie contribution. Amber Fields of Grain This is an ongoing 2015-2016 exhibition curated by AGB Permanent Collection Curator, Jonathan Smith. The Gallery is open to the public: Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Admission is free
October 3, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON
September had some wonderful fall days – then suddenly it was gone and the winds were a little more brisk and had a trace of a chill in them as well. Leslie Bullock – snapped a picture of the high winds late Saturday afternoon and shared it with friends – and we are sharing it with you. What does the Farmer’s Almanac have to say – because that water looks cold.
October 2, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Editor’s note: Invitational seating is limited and has already reached capacity…sorry, no more guests! During the city Council meeting earlier this week, ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster chaired as Deputy Mayor while the real Mayor was in Chine – we still don’t know why – a list of names of organizations was read out announcing that it was whatever the name of the organization month. The media tend to take these announcements with a bit of a yawn – every organization seems to have its day at some point during the year. It is only when we pause and say “I know that person” that some attention gets paid.
This isn’t the time or place to explain the circumstances under which media came to know Mike Swartz and his wife Janice Connell rather it is an opportunity to learn more about what he has done in the community. Mike is for the most part a quiet person – he has done well materially in life and has served as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and with the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) in a variety of roles over the past twelve years. The reception to honour and recognize him will take place at the Art Gallery of Burlington in the Fireside Room at 10:30 am on Saturday.
October 2, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Halton Regional Police Service have received three separate complaints from victims of a variant of a common phone fraud known as the “Grandparent Scam”. All three victims were residents of the City of Burlington and all three had adult children who were the subject of the scam. The fraudsters are calling un-suspecting victims and claiming to represent the victims son/daughter who has been involved in an accident and needs financial assistance in order to be released following an arrest. The fraudsters will then ask the victim to wire money to another third party usually out of the country in order to effect the release of their son or daughter. In the latest rash of calls the suspects have been asking for money to be wired to Lebanon and combined the victims have wired a little under $20,000 dollars overseas. Once the suspects find a victim who is willing they will continue to call and ask for more money for various other delays in the court process. The Halton Police Fraud Unit is warning the public of these ongoing frauds and advising that before doing anything to contact the involved family member and confirm they are OK. Prevention is the biggest tool at the disposal of the police in these circumstance and once the money has been wired overseas it is gone for good and following the trail to a suspect is almost never successful. Any of the information provided during the phone call or for the purposes of the financial transaction is fake and subsequent investigation only takes police to a dead end. Also still prevalent in the GTA area is the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) phone scam. Police again want to warn members of the public that the CRA will never solicit money owing on an account over the phone. There are numerous administrative stages that the CRA will enter into first before making any demands for payment of fines or accounts and anyone who receives a phone call claiming to be from the CRA as their first contact on a delinquent account should independently contact the CRA to confirm the information. With today’s technology the suspects could be working from anywhere in the world and are very skillful in hiding their true identity and location. If you are unsure, always make independent contact with the agency the suspects claim to be calling from and confirm the information you are provided.
October 1, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It was supposed to be a big surprise – and for many it was. The unveiling of Showtime, a Walt Rickli, sculpture that Dan Lawrie purchased and then donated to the Art Gallery of Burlington along with a cheque for $100,000 was a wonderful surprise.  Showtime A grateful chair of the Art Gallery Foundation Anne Swarbrick announced that the court yard of the Gallery will forever after be known as the Dan Lawrie Family Courtyard. Almost every name you could think of in the art community took part in the event. The Showtime sculpture barely made it into the Gallery – Rickli brought in a small crane to lower the one tonne piece of polished stone onto its base which sits in a reflecting pool in the Courtyard. His challenge proved to be the doors of the Art Gallery – “there wasn’t enough room to slip a piece of silk in between the doors and the sculpture” he said.  Dan Lawrie donated the sculpture and $100,000 to the Art Gallery of Burlington. Dan Lawrie was rightfully lauded by the audience, many recalled the tag line he used while building his insurance business – which is now ranked as one of the top five in North America. “The man who knows” was called out by many in the audience – proving that advertising does work. We learned that Lawrie is an amateur artist in his own right and has a showing in the lobby of his building. He did point out that everyone wasn’t invited over after the unveiling to look at his art. Lawrie has funded some sculpture at the Royal Botanical Gardens and was the man who put up a very significant sum to pay for the creation and installation of the Spiral Stella that stands beside the entrance to the Performing Arts Centre.  Gallery Foundation chair Anne Swarbrick, Mayor Rick Goldring, Gallery Executive Director Robert Steven, artist Walt Rickli and philanthropist Dan Lawrie stand before Showtime Photographed in the evening with bright spot lights doesn’t do show time justice. The piece is large with all kinds of angles making it very complex. A child might say it looks like a fat guppy with all kinds of things sticking out – and that would be an acceptable description – until you have a chance to stand before the piece of art and try to fully understand its complexity. This is not a trivial work – it is complex, nuanced and deserves more than one viewing. I expect there are people who will travel to Burlington to look at this piece of art. Generations are going to be thankful that Dan Lawrie paid to have it placed where it is.
September 30th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON As the city moves into October United Way volunteers in Burlington and Greater Hamilton will be hosting events to kick-off their annual fundraising activities for United Way and help raise awareness of the needs in our community. The initiative highlights the importance of pulling together to create lasting change.  Kick-off at Specs on Pearl in Burlington at 9am on Thursday The event will kick-off at Specs on Pearl in Burlington at 9am on Thursday and will include attendees from surrounding businesses, a few words from Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, Deputy Mayor Rick Craven and United Way Campaign Chair and President of JanKelley Marketing Chantel Broten. United Way GenNext members will host closing festivities beginning at 6pm at Stonewalls Restaurant in Hamilton. Proceeds from the closing event will support LGBTQ and newcomer youth initiatives in Burlington & Greater Hamilton.  At past United Way campaigns the city really put their backs into the program. Here, former city general manager Kim Phillips helped pull a water truck down Brant Street. “United Way Day is really about encouraging individuals and organizations to get involved and help create possibility for residents of Burlington & Greater Hamilton. One in 3 people in our community will access services supported by United Way in their lifetime. This could be a friend, family member, or neighbour. We all know someone who has been helped by United Way” said Broten. United Way kicked-off the annual fundraising campaign earlier with a breakfast event at the Royal Botanical Gardens. The campaign will be championed by Hamilton Chair Paul Johnson, Director of Corporate Initiatives for the City of Hamilton and Burlington Chair Chantel Broten, President JanKelley and long-time Burlington resident. Together, they will highlight the unique needs of Burlington & Greater Hamilton and encourage collective community action. “The need in our community is great and we could not begin to meet that need without the support of volunteers like those participating in United Way Day. This year, the ultimate goal of United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton is to impact over 164,000 lives, because we know our community isn’t great, until it is great for everyone” said CEO Jeff Vallentin.
September 30, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON If you enjoy fast paced, high scoring baseball games in October, the End of Season Fastpitch Tournament is for you and your family. Come on out for the action and support a local charity.  Everything about Fast Pitch is fast – did the runner make it to the bag? Sixteen teams from across Southern Ontario will meet this weekend at Sherwood Forest Park. Starting Friday evening, all day Saturday with Sunday championships games. Fastpitch is much quicker paced than baseball, with 7 inning games games lasting about 1.5 hours, faster in-field play and more big hits! There will be a Bavarian beer garden serving BBQ’ed hotdogs and burgers. Fifty-fifty draws will be held with a portion of proceeds going local charities. This event is put on the Burlington Intermediate Men’s Fastball League (www.BIMFL.weebly.com) and the Hamilton Rosedale Fastpitch League.
September 30th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Standing in rain that would not stop – some sixty people involved in the electrical generation business listened to polite speeches and cut a large red ribbon to open a pilot co-generation station at the south end of the Burlington Hydro offices on Brant Street.  Cutting the ceremonial ribbon is Deputy Mayor and ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven. To his right are : Bob Delaney, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, MPP Eleanor McMahon, Hydro President Gerry Smallegange. Defined as a Micro Turbine Cogeneration Plant it is part of the City of Burlington’s Community Energy Plan (CEP). Natural gas is fed into the unit which then produces both electricity and heat – enough to heat one third of the Burlington Hydro offices on Brant Street.  Three micro turbines and a heat recover unit in this micro co-generation project produce 90kv of electricity and enough heat to take care of one third of the needs of the the Hydro head office on Brant Street; Bob Delaney, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy explained that “Projects like this one not only offer a sustainable way to generate electricity, they can also provide valuable insights for other organizations considering the benefits of future cogeneration or district heating projects in the Burlington area.” As a central partner in the development of the CEP, Burlington Hydro has committed to demonstrating technologies and evaluating their effectiveness in commercial and larger residential buildings by undertaking certain pilot projects through its affiliate, Burlington Electricity Services Inc. “Increasing sustainable local energy generation in ways that support the City’s economic competitiveness is an important objective identified in the Community Energy Plan,” says Deputy Mayor Rick Craven, and Ward 1 Councillor. “Not only does this project represent a positive step forward in the implementation of that plan, but because the plant is self-contained and portable, it is well-suited for permanent relocation at sometime in the future.”  The dignitaries had to stand in the rain to speak to the guests who were tightly packed inside the tent. An interconnection into the building’s electrical supply and heating system produces 90 kW of electricity, enough to offset one third of the building’s peak load and provide sufficient heat for much of the building. District heating can provide heat for multiple buildings from a single heating plant. Hot water or steam is distributed to these buildings through underground piping. This is an efficient source of energy as district heating systems operate at higher efficiencies than individual building heating systems. “Cogeneration involves the production of electricity and heat simultaneously from a single fuel source,” explains Gerry Smallegange, Hydro President and CEO. “This is more efficient as the heat normally generated through conventional thermal electricity generation is not wasted.”  One of three micro turbines that Burlington Hydro bought for the micro co-generation project that is now operational. Smallegange explained that Burlington Hydro became aware of a surplus unit in Kelowna BC, “and we bought it for $37,500 – put it on a flatbed truck and built the shed that encloses it all with lumber donated to us by Habitat for Humanity”.
September 30, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON City Hall will be getting some upgrades to the electrical system which will result in a number of services will be unavailable from 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 until-mid morning on Saturday, Oct. 3.  Communicating with city hall will be very difficult Friday evening and Saturday morning – email service is included. During the upgrade, the following services will be unavailable: • Inbound calls to city buildings, including Burlington Transit Users of the city’s website may also experience service disruptions. Calls to 911 will not be affected. All services are expected to be restored and operational by mid-morning on Saturday, Oct. 3.
September 30, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON We used to refer to the group that have organized themselves as an Art Collective – ACCOB – which stands for the Arts and Culture Collective of Burlington as an “emerging” group. That day has passed – they are now trying very hard to gain a foothold and to have an impact on the way arts and culture policy and spending are done in Burlington. So far they aren’t getting the traction they need and feel they deserve.  Art Gallery of Burlington – costs the city close to a million to run – is there value for money? Of course there is – but without artists would we need it?  The Performing Arts Centre has had an immense impact on the artistic growth of the city – and the arts community is now able to make great use of the space. They are dealing with a city hall that is close to patronizing to the individual artists and at the same time spends million on buildings and the subsidizing of an Art Gallery, a Performing Arts Centre and a Museum Board. The artists feel they should form an Arts Council and be at the table with the same clout, financial benefit and influences the other organizations.  Jeremy Frieburger, author of a report that provided direction for the city’s cultural plan based on reams of data he had gathered. Now the city has to determine how it wants ti implement its Cultural Action Plan. The city has a Cultural Action Plan and a committee that is involved in overseeing the roll out of that plan. One would like to think that having artists sitting on that implementation committee would be a positive sign – and indication that the artists are finally getting the influence they feel they deserve. Afraid not – there is trouble in paradise.  The Art in Action Studio Tour is a ten year success. The event is free to the public and there isn’t a dime of public money in the project. Teresa Seaton, who is a significant part of the driving force behind the Art in Action group that holds an annual art tour that is very successful – they have been putting on the event for more than ten years and are financially successful enough to be able to award a scholarship each year, thinks an Arts Council is needed. Seaton is also a commercially successful Stained Glass artist with a studio in the west end of the city. On the Collective Facebook page she made some comments … well let’s let Seaton speak for herself: “Interesting meeting today as a delegate from the External Body Committee to CAPIC -The Cultural Action Plan Implementation Committee. Seems we are still defending the need for an Arts and Culture Council to the city. One of the questions that came up was: What would an Arts and Culture Council do for us, the arts and culture community, in Burlington. As far as I can tell one of the first things an Arts Council would do with funding it hopefully gets is to ask the community what can an Arts Council do for you? And because it seems we are a long way from getting any funding for an Arts Council I thought I might throw up the question here on face book. My personal suggestions…” An Arts and Culture Council could; 1. Lobby the city to implement, or increase, the already existing public art fee on new developments. I believe the existing recommendation is 1%. I have trouble finding this information.  Teresa Seaton – stained Glass artist “Don’t get me wrong; the City of Burlington has come a long way in the last few years. I see the institutions working together more. There seems to be more community involvement in these institutions. But let’s not let this momentum stop.” CAPIC: the Cultural Action Plan Implementation Committee consists of: Scott Stewart, General Manager for the city Andrea Battista, involved with Symphony on the Bay Six of the eight people on the committee are bureaucrats – there is no balance here. The meeting Seaton attended and delegated at also had two other city hall staff and a ward Councillor. Seaton is quite right when she talks about how far the artists have come – they have risen, literally, and said “we are here and we want to be heard”. And city council, a bit surprised at the artistic energy they didn’t know existed, put money into hiring a consultant who put together a cultural action plan that the city adopted – sort of, and the created a committee to implement that plan. And that is sort of where things are stuck. The artists don’t fully comprehend that politicians and bureaucrats do not give away power – they accumulate power and they are for the most part loathe to share that power. The only way the people (in this case the artists) wrestle power from the bureaucrats is to threaten the power base they have.  Joe Lamb, on the left, negotiated a deal for the seniors – he didn’t get the kitchen sink because he didn’t ask for it – but he got everything else he wanted. Then city manager Jeff Fielding was told to keep the seniors happy and he did. There is a lesson for the arts community here. A classic example of this was when the seniors began to complain about what they were not getting from the city. They, the seniors, were not happy with the people city hall had sent over to administrate their Centre and they were quick to get on the phone and let the Council members know they were not happy. The new city manager at the time was sent over to meet and negotiate with the seniors who got everything they had asked for and more. Jeff Fielding, the city manager at the time, was told to meet with the seniors and keep them happy. Canadians learned yesterday that Canada now has more people over 65 than we have under 14 – the power has shifted to the seniors and they are going to get what they want o they will vote the politicians out of office. What kind of clout do the artists have? They are creative people with the ability to give the city character, colour, reputation and a reason to visit the place. Imagine what would happen if the Sound of Music decided they would not put on their event for a year. You can only imagine the hair pulling that would take place at city hall. Seaton is right on another level as well; the artists have to begin working like an orchestra and all play from the same sheet music. The squabbling that goes on between the different artists and the different groups is not pretty. They are admittedly high strung people – they go without to be artists but at some point they have to create a united front and use the strength that comes from unity to make their case. City council has consistently said the arts are important – and they do pump a lot into the institutions we have. The artists want a real seat at the table – they are going to have to require the politicians to walk their talk. It will not be easy – but it can be done – look at what the seniors achieved.
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